So my buddy just bought a new MB B-52 V23. The boat was sold to him as a 2006 model. All of his finance paperwork reads 2006. Today his insurance company called and told him that they misquoted him his price, that the boat was actually a 2005 model. A check of the hull number verifies that the boat is a 2005 model.

On top of that the boat died today on the lake. The thing is 3 days old and just died. We could not get the boat restarted and had to tow it to the dock and put it back on the trailer.

Now the fun really begins. Upon purchasing the boat, the dealer did not do a demo. They said that they only had one person working that day and was unable to demo the boat. They originally were suppose to deliver the boat about 200 miles to his house but backed out at the last minute, which caused us to go get it. When we arrived the dealer did not have the boat ready. The boat didn't have a prop, swim platform, and the batteries were dead. After all the headache we finally got to pick up the boat. As were about to tow it away, I realized there was no plug. The dealer misplaced it and had to take one off another boat. We finally pulled out and made it about ten to fifteen miles when I asked my buddy about registration for the trailer and boat....oops, they forgot to put temp plates on both.

Other problems include the pp and speedos don't match. They are about ten miles an hour apart. There is a small dent in the rubrail on the front and the ballast pumps are really slow.

Now my buddy has to tow this pig back 200 miles to get it fixed and it is only 3 days old. He hasn't even gotten a chance to ride behind it. I told him that he needs to take that thing up there and leave it. Call his finance company and cancel payment and they can have it back. For god sake, the boat isn't even the same year boat as what he was supposed to get!

return the boat. the sale is void since they gave him an '05 when all paperwork said '06.

and make them pay for your gas.

as for the pp and speedos not matching up, that's typical. if the next boat's pp and speedo don't match up (if he buys from them again...dunno why he would), just calibrate them. i could be wrong on this though.

That is what I am thinking. He over 60K for it and it isn't the right year boat. I just can't believe it already broke. The dealer wants him to bring it up for service. I think they should come get it and he should look at another brand.

I bought an 06' Nautique 210 team from dallas, which is about 250 miles from where I live. I drove it home in the morning, put it in the water, filled up the ballast, set the PP and had a great day on it. I haven't had a problem with it and it has nearly 100hrs on it. I think for the kind of money he paid, he should expect the same from ANY boat company's product.

This is unfortunate for your friend. But I have to say that he he kind of had this coming to him. NO DEMO. How are you going to spend 60K on a boat and not demo it!!! Hopefully he will be able to get his money back from this dealer ( who sounds shady). and go far far away from this dealer.

Read some articles on buying a new or used baot and what to test and look for before he buys another one. No prop, Swim platform, Battereis dead,no plug, dealer not wanting do deliver after they said they would!!!!!

all the signs were there!!! No one took off the Goggles to look at them!!

"the sale is void since they gave him an '05 when all paperwork said '06. "

If the paper work says it's an 06 and the hull says 05, the sale is void.

All he really has to do is cancel the financing... The dealer will take care of the rest. Including calling him to schedule a time to come get the boat. I'd even avoid their phone calls for a week. Cause them to get concerned. If they really want it, they can drive 200 miles and search for it, hoping your address is where the boat is.

Bring a few extra gallons of gasoline to light in their showroom floor when you take the boat back. Then, I would demand an invoice price on a brand new boat or threaten to call their delaer rep direct. This sounds like more than neglect here.

Screw these guys over. Like said above. Call up bank and cancel financing on the boat. Then leave a message for the dealership telling them that if they want their boat back they can come pick it up at this said address. Then do not answer any of their phone calls.

Mike, I too would be ready to take it back and he should be able to do so. It is oh so important that he discuss this entire situation with the finance company before he does that, they may not care about the 05/06 deal. If he takes it back before talking to the bank then he may just end up with a repo on his credit report and he damn sure doesn't want a 60k repo or any repo for that matter. I have been dealing with banks for a long time and they all have different guidelines. He may also want to consult an attorney. I know everyone on this post is saying oh it says 06 then he can take it back...unless this post is full of lawyers I would be careful with that advice....my 2 cents.

Check the date of manufacture. I know from working many years at a at car dealerships that you can have a vehicle that was built say in Sept 05 but is actually an 06 model. It all depends on when the manufacturer decides it's the next years model. Check with MB and see what month they change year models. Or it could be the Dealer is trying to be shady. Sorry to hear about the problems. I have an 05 Team edition with 100+ hours and have not had any problems. Board More/Work Less! J$

Sounds like ther dealer did just about everything wrong on this deal. Then again so did the buyer. Certainly the the buyer was excited but should never have skipped the test / demo drive with all the red flags flying in his face. Especially with the long drive home.

Obiviously these should all be the dealers fault but lot's of questions - Did the dealer agree on a time for the owner to pick the boat up after they cancelled the delivery and did they try to re-schedule the delivery (when the boat was ready) ? or did owner go get it with the same excitement he left town with it ? did the dealer tell the owner the was not preped that's they cancelled the delivery ?

Anyway a good dealer would never have let this happen IMO.

I agree Jon - Talk to the shop manager/ owner and attempt to fix the problem first. Yes, that includes resolving the 05-06 deal.

Surfnfury's right on about the manufacture/model dates, it's very common. Sounds to me like you've blown up without doing very much research, which is understandable, but still not right...also, i'm not quite sure why you are so ready to 'go with a different brand' when it's your dealer that's obviously screwing things up, not the boat manufacturer. 200mi away is too far for a new boat anyway, you *will* have to bring it back to the shop eventually, perfect or lemon.

Try not to blow it too far out of proportion before you gather all the information...it may not even be the dealer, but just one specific employee, so ask to speak to someone in charge. Good luck, hope it works out ok.

Someone who understands this a little better - please explain: So the hull VIN says the boat is an 05, but it might be OK for the manufacturer to arbitrarily choose a date to call it an 06? I am not sure how MB does it, but Tige VIN's end in the year that the boat is. I bought an '05 in August of '04 and the VIN clearly is 05.

I would think that the manufacturer would have to do something to the VIN to show the change. The only thing that really matters is if you can convince the next guy who owns the boat that it is an '06. You would be looking at another year of depreciation otherwise.

Don't worry about the PP vs tach, there is a calibration for that.

I would probably talk to the dealer and explain your frustration (probably even before hitting the internet discussion boards with it). How he handles this will tell you who you are dealing with, chump or champ. You've already done some damage to his boat dealership and the brand by spouting off. If he reads this stuff, he may feel less enthused to do you any favors.

the customer has all the right in the world to spout off. we're not talking about simple error, but a handful of serious ones. it doesn't matter how unenthused the dealer is. they effed up. they need some damage control and the only way to do that is to fix the problems...period.

I agree with Joe on this one. There is nothing wrong with posting and blowing some steam off. With that said, most reasonable people on here don't really form a strong opinion when they only hear one side of the story...

I hope that it didn't sound like he doesn't have the 'right' to spout off. He does, and he probably should, but it may not do him the most good to spout off here without giving the dealer a chance.

From a standpoint of communication skills, this doesn't get the relationship off on the right foot. Mike wants to get something, and my opinion is to contact the dealer FIRST, and that would be more likely to get him what he wants.

The dealer clearly has botched things from Mike's perspective and the dealer needs to fix this.

This sounds far too crazy to me. Has to me some huge miscommunication. Too many things don't match up. First of all, there is no way a dealer could pawn off an 05 as an 06, the boats are hardly similar. Anyone with an ounce of observation would notice that the boat they are buying looks nothing like the other '06 boats on the lot. First thing I would notice is that '05's have black towers, black rubrails, different steering wheels, different dashes, different seats, and different ballast pumps. Could also take a peek at the VIN, if it says 05 at the end, it is an '05. Just like the pair of Tomcats I just got in end in 07. On the other side of this, there is no way a dealer(no matter how crooked) could pull this off. Everything says '05 on it, the manuals, the brochures, etc. I don't know, I could go on, this is nutz. Bottom line is, if this really and truely happened, I am sure that your friend will get his money back, and Mike Brendel will pull the dealership.

Yes I am a friend, but a concerned one. I am sure that all you guys have close friends that you would be concerned with too.

I don't think I have hurt the dealer; I have not mentioned the dealerships name or what state it is in.

The boats hull number was verified as an 05' hull number by the insurance company. Each hull number, like on a car, has a year number code that allows the insurance companies, dealers, and customers to know the year make. We have yet to be able to find a hull number on the boat. The hull number was given to the insurance company by the dealer, when they called to get a binder number for the loan paperwork. As you all know when you finance a boat, you must provide proof on insurance. The dealer passed the hull number to the insurance company, not the customer. His owner's manual is for an 05' boat. It is possible that the dealer passed the wrong hull # and gave him the wrong manuals, which would still be a big mistake in my book.

Once the dealership called and said they couldn't make the delivery before the laborday weekend, my friend set up a day and time that we would go pick it up. They knew we were coming several days prior. Once we arrived they informed him that they could not do a demo because of lack of manning that day. Trust me, if it was up to us, we would have done the demo. It was not an option to stay the night, we both have children in school and had to make it back to town.

The dealership aquired this and a few other boats from another dealership that went out of business, so there is a possibility that paperwork got mixed up.

As far as Tony's comments go, I don't even know where to begin. How about the nearest dealer to us is 200 miles away, except for one company who sells wakeboard brands in our town. So if you don't want that brand, you HAVE to go 200miles to get a boat of another brand. Plus, it should not matter how far he went to get the boat, that is his choice. Maybe you could explain to the dealers then that their customers should not drive 200 miles for their products...I am sure you would be protecting them better that way. I bought my boat 200 miles from my house and couldn't be more happy with it. My dealership has been fantastic about supporting a long distance relationship by talking me through problems and overnighting parts to me. I think he should expect the same.

I personally don't beleive that the dealer was trying to scam him or anything like that. I think there was some neglect (either giving him the wrong manuals and hull number, or the wrong boat year) mixed with bad customer service. With that said, I like MB boats. I think they have a great product and I like their Christian based business model. But as we all know, you don't often get to deal with a company directly on a personal basis...it is the dealership that forms that bond.

I believe that the following should happen. The boat needs to be taken back and fixed either way. While there, the dealer should varify the make year on the boat. If it is a simple mistake, they should apoligize and make some sort of restitution. If it is an 05' model, they should take the boat back and reimburse him for his gas and time. I also personally belive that they should make the trip to pick it up and return it to him, if it is to be fixed.

Here's a picture. From what Alan is saying, it looks like the boat is an 06' and that the paperwork got messed up. The dealership must have called in the wrong hull number to the insurance company and given him the wrong owner's manual.

Alan,

Where is the hull number located on this boat? We have looked for it but can not find it. I assumed that it should be in the lower right hand corner of the transom, but we could not find it. Also, do these boats come with hour counters? His does not seem to have one.

Whats funny is that you have '05 User's manual, it is common to fill out the paperwork using the vins/id #'s from the sticker that MB puts inside the front page of the manual. I bet all of that '05 stuff is routed back to some dumb salesman grabbing the wrong bag.

As for the PP, sounds like the dealer didn't prep the boat at all. Tell your friend to give me a call, I can save him the 200 mile drive, I bet I can get him straight with the boat over the phone so you guys can go ride.

I think it's a bit unreasonable that an average Joe, so to speak, would know that MB used black rub rails in 05 and not in 06. Along with the list of other subtle differences between the year models. Only dealers and hardcore brand-name enthusiasts pick up on those things.

I would sit down with the manager / owner in their shop and understand what their staff and services looks like before agreeing to anything going forward. They may not have the commitment to their buisness or customers that you require and you need to know that.

Craig - If the buyer didn't know the differance between years what differance does it make to him which one he gets ?

How was he supposed to know the difference? Can you tell all vehicle and boat makes from one year to the next? I would bet the answer is no. So he was taking the dealers word on it. Come to find out this turned out to be a mistake with paperwork, and that is fine. They can work this out a lot easier than if the thing was the wrong year.

I think we all understand that, but that's not what the context was. Your comments were directed at the buyers ability to diferentiate between (subtle) 05-06 features and I was pointing out that if he didn't know the differance and was happy with what he took home what is the differance ? He took it home ! He liked it.

The 05-06 paperwork will get straightened out. That's a given.

I meant no disrespect with that point, please don't take it that way.

I will disagee with you that the feature changes a builder makes between year models are "subtle" though. They are usually selling points.

CRAZY STORY. It is pretty simple. Why wouldn't you just return the boat and ask for your money back? It is not worth dealing with someone who is that unorganized. What will that say for follow-up service?

One the other hand. Seems likes there were lots of red flags to start.

Im the owner of the boat being discussed. I would like to take a minute and clear a few things up.

First and foremost. The boat is a 2006 model. I was confused and thought that I received a 2005. I was wrong. Everything that has happened from day 1 is being resolved by the dealership. They are taking good care of me and its greatly appreciated.

Main person to blame is myself. Ive been wakeboarding now for about 3 weeks. As soon as I started boarding I fell in love with it as Im sure most of you did as well. I knew after that I needed a boat. So I went out and bought me the sickest boat I could find. Maybe I should of researched alittle more into " How to buy a boat" Before I went out and purchased one. The gentleman that sold me the boat are true professionals who I think thought they were dealing with someone who knew alittle more then he did. However I think now we are both on the same page.

I would like to thank Mike Brendal for making one of the sickest boats to ever hit the wakeboarding scene. Also I would like to thank Robert for helping me out and setting things straight. Last but not least I would like to thank a good friend of mine for helping me out with purchasing this boat and for having my best interests in mind. Thanks Mike.

A friend of mine has a boat that is an 05 and at the dock one day the sheriff called it in and the Hukk was an 03. He said there must be some kind of a mistake becasue all the paper work says this boat is an 05. The sheriff said it happens all the time where a manufacturer will have an older hull and not use it until a later year as long as the hull design has not changed. So you could have an 06 boat but the hull number may be an 04 or 05. I know sounds crazy but it's true.

Texas titles show both the year of hull manufacture and the model year. It's common for the year of hull manufacture to be the previous year. I believe this is CYA for the mfr for any USCGA regulation changes - IOW it was built to CGA standards in effect at the time the hull was molded, even though it is sold as a year later "model year".

Thanks for posting a good update. Glad to hear everything is working out.

You can easily tell hull build date and year by looking at the VIN # on the back of the boat. The hull number that Alan posted above reads I405 for the last 4 digits.

This is how it breaks down. First, it's given the last two digits are the model year. The I4 equals I being the 9th month of the year (September) and the year the hull was manufactured (04). A boat built right now would read I607. Say you order a boat and it's built January 07 (A707).

"A boat built right now would read I607" -- But you say the last two digits are "the year the hull was manufactured." But today is in year 06. So is it actually "the MODEL year the hull was manufactured for"?

Jan 21, 2007 would be A707. The hull manufacture year only has the last digit, i.e. 2007=7, '06=6. Months go as A=Jan, B=Feb, C=March, etc. There is no mark for actual day, such as Jan. 21, only the month and year. I said the last two digits are the MODEL YEAR, and the two prior relate to the year the hull was manufactured. My 'protocol' does work!

All I know Is that I am on my third MB and have a great relationship not only with the dealer but also with MB. Jay down there is awesome. Always takes my call. I just received my new 07 B52v and love it they have made so many changes from my 03 220v all of them good

Not a problem Craig, no offense taken. I actually learned the trick about 7 years ago from a friend that was a Supra dealer. It's kind of a cool thing to know. I know it has been true on every boat I've seen.

mike i'm sorry to let you know but if you ask the dealer to take it back they don't have to. there's no cool off period with both unlike cars. i know this because my parents own a boat dealership. the dealer should fix it all for free. if they don't they need to rethink how they're running their dealership. if they give you any problems about it just contact MB's factory and try to talk to the rep for that area. if you complane to the rep he'll take care of it.